Science shows the All Blacks gain an advantage over the opposition by performing the haka before games, and an Australian tactic to counter the war dance works.
- Performing the haka gives players an advantage by increasing heart rate.
- Opposition players should do something to stay active while it’s happening
- Scientist says wearing a tracksuit could counteract the advantage of the haka
The haka war dance was long thought to help the All Blacks dominate rugby, and now there is scientific evidence to back it up.
The New Zealand national team has one of the best winning percentages in all of sports: the All Blacks have won 76 per cent of their matches over the last 120 years.
The famous Maori ceremonial challenge has been a big part of his arsenal, as he is famous for putting opposing teams at a disadvantage even before kick-off.
The All Blacks have dominated rugby for nearly 120 years, winning 76 per cent of games played. The haka has been an important part of his arsenal.
Science has shown that the ceremonial dance gives an advantage to the side that performs it.
Irish rugby commentator Ewan MacKenna once claimed that the haka should not be allowed because the All Blacks gained an advantage by staying warm while performing the dance while the opposition was forced to stand, watch and cool off.
Vince Kelly, from the University of Queensland’s School of Human Movement, decided to find out if this was true and put heart monitors on the players as they performed the haka to watch for any physiological changes.
“I was very surprised at how high the heart rates went in the players performing the haka, with some reaching over 90 per cent of their maximum heart rate,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald.
One scientist believes that the haka gives players who perform it about the same benefit as doing a full warm-up before a game, while their opponents have to stand still and watch.
“Players performing the haka would have an advantage over their opponents as their heart rate rises in preparation for the match.”
Kelly said performing the haka increased heart rate to about the same level as doing a warm-up, adding that it can give the All Blacks an advantage over an opposing team who stand still while watching them perform it.
“Usually teams do their warm-up and then probably slow down a little bit,” he said. ‘There is a chance that the team doing the haka will keep those warm-up advantages.
“If you have a high body temperature, that generally increases your muscle temperature, which means your muscles are ready to exercise faster.”
Kelly believes that teams should do something to stay active while the haka is going on, but they shouldn’t try to disrupt it.
The scientist believes that the teams should do something to stay active while the haka is being performed, but they should not try to disrupt or challenge the ceremonial dance.
“Possibly disrespecting the haka by not looking at it or warming up while it’s being performed would only annoy the players who did the haka more,” he said. ‘And so [the All Blacks] I’d probably be more encouraged to do it right.’
In the early 2000s, the Wallabies began wearing tracksuits during the haka, so they stayed warmer for longer.
Kelly said the tactic has merit.
‘[The Wallabies’ tracksuit strategy] it means the team doing the haka would lose the benefit of that heating effect because their core temperature and heart rate would drop,” he said.
A good tactic to counter the advantage of the haka is to wear a tracksuit and stay warm, something the Wallabies did in the early 2000s.
It hasn’t been a good year for the All Blacks in 2022, winning just three of seven Tests, including historic defeats at home to Ireland and Argentina. The team has slumped to an all-time low of No.5 in the world rankings.
New Zealand will play the Wallabies on Thursday night in the first game of the Bledisloe Cup. Of the 152 Bledisloe events already contested, New Zealand have won 108 and Australia 37, with seven drawn.
